The year 2009 marks the anniversary of three important milestones in TRIUMF's history. The laboratory celebrates forty years of success since its commemoration in 1969, thirty-five years of the main Cyclotron, and ten years of accelerated rare-isotope beams at the Isotope Separation and Acceleration (ISAC) facility.
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| Left: Dedication of the TRIUMF facility and tree planting ceremony, 1969; Middle: TRIUMF Control Room, celebrating first beam from the Cyclotron, 1974; Right: Official opening of the ISAC facility at TRIUMF, 2000. | ||||
To commemorate these milestones, a "Triple Anniversary" celebration was held on Monday, December 14, 2009. The event coincided with the TRIUMF Users Group (TUG) annual general meeting as well as the first reunion of the newly formed TRIUMF Alumni and Retirees Association (TARA) the afternoon before, consequently bringing together many members of TRIUMF's "extended family" to reflect on the legacy of the laboratory and its achievements over the past forty years.
The afternoon began with a series of scientific review talks by four prominent and long-standing members of the TRIUMF community: Erich Vogt, former Director of TRIUMF; Ewart Blackmore, Manager of Proton Therapy, PIF, and NIF and former Head of the Engineering Division; Jean-Michel Poutissou, Head of the Nuclear Medicine Division and former Science Division Head; and John D'Auria, Emeritus Professor of Nuclear Chemistry at Simon Fraser University and former leader of nuclear astrophysics efforts at TRIUMF.
Dr. Vogt commenced the series of talks with a reflection on Forty years of Success at TRIUMF, which covered the events leading up the decision to establish TRIUMF as a national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics, through to the design study process, eventual construction, and impressive forty years of operation of the Cyclotron. Ewart Blackmore followed up with a presentation on Thirty-five Years of Main Cyclotron Operation which covered the evolution of the cyclotron from its commissioning and delivery of first beam, through to the various experimental areas and beam lines which developed over the years. Jean-Michel Poutissou then presented Decades of Science at TRIUMF, highlighting a personal selection of significant milestones including a collection of "then" and "now" photographs that brought groans and chuckles from the audience. John D'Auria closed the series of talks with a presentation on A Decade of Radioactive Beams at ISAC. D'Auria took his audience on a whirlwind trip through the program's history, covering ten years of technical and scientific highlights and providing a peek into what's in store for the program in the near future.
After the scientific review talks, guests were invited to a gallery evening and wine and cheese reception featuring artwork from TRIUMF's pilot Artist in Residence project with students from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. In early October, students of Associate Professor Ingrid Koenig's Humanities 311 class: "Black Holes and Other Transformations of Energy" toured the laboratory and spent studio time around the facility to gather ideas and inspiration for a visual-arts project.
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| Above: Students from Emily Carr University of Art + Design share their artwork with TRIUMF scientists and staff during the laboratory's Triple Anniversary Gallery Evening and Reception. | ||||||
All of the pieces in the exhibit, "Re-attaching Physics to the World We Experience", reflected an aspect of the students' original visit to TRIUMF as well as concepts learned in class, which ranged from quantum mechanics and string theory to black holes and particle behaviour. The visit to the laboratory uniquely complemented the in-class material, providing the art students with a rare opportunity to see science in action.
The gallery evening and reception began with a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday for Dr. Vogt who celebrated his 80th birthday in November. Guests then spent the evening enjoying a glass of wine, chatting with colleagues and catching up with old friends, viewing the artwork, and conversing with the art students to learn more about their experience at TRIUMF and their final pieces of art.
It was a testament to TRIUMF's reputation as a facility dedicated to international collaboration, openness, and creativity, to see artists and scientists, young and old, from all over the world come together to celebrate the legacy and toast the future of the laboratory.
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| Above: Dr. Vogt, celebrating his 80th birthday this year, makes the ceremonial first cut in the cake. |
Earlier this year, Dr. Vogt remarked, "Forty years of TRIUMF is very special because fundamental science laboratories do not always prosper for such a long time. TRIUMF remained robust because, right from the beginning, it changed its science program as new science challenges emerged." As we toasted TRIUMF's success, it was inspiring to see a generation of pioneers who built and developed TRIUMF into the laboratory it is today alongside a new generation of talented researchers who will lead the laboratory in taking on new challenges and possibilities.
A special thank you to all of those who made the Triple Anniversary celebration a success, to those involved in making the Artist in Residence pilot program a reality, and to Ingrid Koenig and her talented students for being open to this unique opportunity and for sharing your work with the TRIUMF community.
-- Meghan Magee, Communications Assistant